


Shattering the Image

by persnicketythings



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Kevin and Connor are adorable, Kevin scandalizes the elders, M/M, mcpriceley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 07:51:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11573661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persnicketythings/pseuds/persnicketythings
Summary: After his mission ends, Kevin Price meets up with his fellow MTC trainees to catch up and talk about their missions. Of course they're not prepared to hear how much Kevin's life has changed...OR Kevin Price is slightly evil and decides to make sweet, innocent Mormon heads explode.





	Shattering the Image

**Author's Note:**

> It's been years since I've written anything, but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't go away. We'll see how it goes...

**Shattering the Image  
**

  
Kevin Price had gotten along rather well with his fellow trainees during their time at the Missionary Training Center – they had referred to him as the smartest, the best, _and_ the most deserving, after all.  Before departing, the boys had agreed to meet up for lunch once they had all returned to Utah from their missions.  Elders Harris and Brown were the last to return, having arrived from Australia just the previous week.

Kevin entered the agreed upon restaurant with a smile on his face, wondering whether their lives had been changed as much as his over their two years abroad. _‘I doubt it,’_ he thought.

“Elder Price!” called Elder Cross as Kevin entered, waving him to their table.  Since they were a large group, two tables had been pushed together so that they could all fit comfortably around.  He smiled as he noticed that all the elders were sitting next to their mission companions. Apparently for most, the habit of being together all the time was hard to break.

“Hi guys,” Kevin replied, shaking everyone’s hand as he sat down at an empty chair while noticing that he was the last to arrive.

“Oh wow, it’s so good to see you again,” exclaimed Elder White, as all of the other Elders smiled and looked upon Kevin with their familiar looks of adoration.

Kevin smiled back, but it wasn’t as sincere as the others.  It seems that word of his mission, and events in his two weeks back in Utah had not yet reached his peers, who apparently still idolized him. _‘I guess that adoration will be ending soon enough._ ’

“It’s great to see you all as well,” he replied while picking up his menu.  “Should we order so we can catch up?”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Elder Cunningham?” asked Elder Young, “Where is he?”

“Arnold is still in Uganda.  He’s staying with his wife and father-in-law while they wait for their visas to come through.”

The other elders looked at Kevin in silent disbelief.  “Wife?” inquired Elder Green.

Kevin smiled genuinely at the group as he thought of his best friend and his beloved wife.  “Arnold and one of the locals we baptized fell in love almost immediately.  They were married a few months ago.”

“Wow!” Exclaimed Elder Cross with a dreamy sigh.  “Who would have thought.”

“Anyway,” Kevin said, “how about we order? I can’t wait to hear about your experiences!”

Once all of the orders were placed, Kevin turned to Elders Cross and Green.  “So, tell me all about Japan!  Did you encounter Mothra?” He asked with a laugh.

“No,” Cross replied sadly.  “That would have been awesome, though!” 

“It was amazing!” Green exclaimed. “The Japanese culture is so fascinating,”

“The language is beautiful, and the people are so polite and respectful.  And the traditional architecture was gorgeous!” Cross said.

Kevin couldn’t help a twinge of jealousy.  With how things turned out, he wouldn’t change his time in Uganda for anything (except maybe a book in his ass), but a part of him still wished he had been sent somewhere with the beautiful architecture of the Japanese.  Or the politeness of their people.  He held in a chuckle as he thought of his introduction to the Ugandans singing “Hasa Diga Eebowai”.  ‘ _To be fair, they may curse and be a bit vulgar, but they are some of the most kind-hearted people I’ve ever known. And that phrase has definitely come in handy a time or two.’_

“How did it go with the language,” Elder Smith asked.  “It was a challenge,” Green replied.  “All I really knew how to say when we got there was ‘Domo arigoto, Mr. Roboto’ and ‘sushi’. But the people were so patient with us.”

Green and Cross shared more about their time in Japan and the people that they were able to introduce to Mormonism.  As they continued sharing, Kevin’s phone chimed with an incoming text.

_“LOOK AT ALL THE FLAVORS!!”_ It was an addition to their district group chat showing a picture of Poptarts lying on the floor literally surrounded by boxes of his favourite snack.  Kevin chuckled as he replied with a laughing emoji and put his phone away.

“How about you guys,” Kevin asked, turning to Elders Young and Grant.  “How was Norway?”

“Cold,” replied Grant with a shiver.  “I mean, I knew they’d get cold winters, but I didn’t expect that.  It’s different than the kind of cold we get here.”

“But it was nice,” Young added.  “The people aren’t as outgoing as people in the US, but once you got to know them, they were really friendly.  And pretty much everyone can speak English.  They’ll say their English isn’t that good, but then they’ll speak it and it’s almost flawless!”

“And the healthcare was great,” added Grant.  “One of the other elders broke his foot and he paid barely anything at the hospital!”

Kevin tuned out as he thought of his own medical emergency in Uganda.  He didn’t exactly trust Gotswana before going to him – the doctor did have maggots in his scrotum after all, to go along with his AIDS. But the man proved to be an excellent physician, even if he couldn’t help himself from being awed and amazed at Kevin’s situation.

‘ _Who would have thought getting that book out would hurt even more than having it shoved in!  It’s amazing that I have no permanent damage, let alone that I can comfortably use the bathroom, or let Connor…’_

Kevin blushed at the turn his thoughts had taken and tuned back in as their food arrived and Elder Brown asked Elders White and Smith about France.

“It was beautiful.  There’s so much culture in France!” exclaimed Smith.  “The people weren’t quite as friendly as it sounds like the Japanese or Norwegians were, but they were kind enough.”

“They didn’t really like us not being fluent in French,” added White, “but they appreciated our attempts.”

“We didn’t get tons of baptisms, but we did get some,” said Smith, “And I think I gained about 15 pounds because of the pastries, cheese and bread.  The food was great!”

Smith and White continued talking about their time in France as Kevin’s phone chimed again.  He looked apologetically at the group, but smiled when he saw he had a message from Connor. 

‘ _How’s it going? xx’_  
_‘Ok.  I haven’t shared much about Uganda yet, though.’_  
_'_ _Just say what you’re comfortable with, and remember that I love you!’_ Connor had attached a picture of him blowing a kiss to this text.  
_'_ _I love you too, and I miss you.’_  
_‘I can’t wait to see you.  And to do that thing you like…’_ He added a winking emoji to this one.  
Kevin blushed as he smiled, _‘Which thing? I like all the things you do.’  
_ ‘ _Good answer. Lol. Now get back to the group!’_  

Kevin put his phone away and tuned back in, realizing that Elders Brown and Harris were talking about Australia.

“And there weren’t nearly as many kangaroos hopping down the street as I expected,” Brown complained.

"You did get bitten by a snake, though,” said Harris with a chuckle, “so you at least got a real experience with an Australian animal.”

“Really?” asked Cross, excitedly.  “What kind of snake was it?”

“I have no idea,” replied Brown.  “When I went to the hospital they just casually said ‘yep, it’s a snake bite’, gave me a general anti-venom and sent me on my way.  The swelling went away pretty quickly, thank goodness.”

“It was really cool,” said Harris.  “It seems like all the animals in Australia can kill you.  You got bitten by a snake.  All I got bitten by was a fire ant, though it hurt like heck!  I never even saw a snake in the wild.”

Kevin smiled as he thought of the animals they’d encountered in Uganda.

   
~*~*~*

_It was a few days after their almost excommunication when Kevin heard a loud, terrified shriek come from the bathroom._

_He ran to the room in question to investigate, only to see Connor, back against the wall, staring panicked at a scorpion a couple of inches in length.  The scorpion was between Connor and the door, a mere foot between them, with its tail slightly raised._

_Connor was extremely panicked, breathing rapidly and tears running down his face.  As Kevin stepped forward to try to do… something… Connor gasped out a “No!”_

_Kevin paused and looked at Connor in confusion.  “I think it’s one of the species that can be deadly!”_

_The scorpion had inched marginally closer to Connor.  Kevin didn’t know as much about the creatures as Connor, who had read up on the local wildlife before coming to the area.  But he did know that scorpions usually only attacked humans when they were disturbed or felt cornered.  This scorpion definitely felt the need to defend itself and Kevin was sure that it was going to attack soon enough._

_Kevin slowly backed out of the doorway and ran to the kitchen, looking for anything that could be useful.  He managed to find some duct tape and a large container with a lid and ran back to the bathroom._

_Sweating nervously, Kevin inched slightly into the bathroom.  Connor was openly sobbing now, as the scorpion was even closer, its tail raised even higher.  He was so panicked he wasn’t paying attention to Kevin creeping even closer until the scorpion suddenly turned and moved towards the taller boy._

_Terrified though knowing he only had one shot, Kevin moved out of the way at the last second and slammed the container over the scorpion, managing to slide the lid onto the container with the scorpion still inside.  He made sure the lid was on tightly and wrapped the container in tape so the scorpion couldn’t escape.  After placing the container on the floor, he moved to Connor and pulled the terrified boy into a tight hug._

_“You’re okay now.  You’re okay,” he whispered as he held Connor and soothingly rubbed his hair and back while the boy cried._

_“You’re such a fool,” Connor gasped out between sobs.  “You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt or even killed!”_

_“It was going to attack you, and I couldn’t let that happen,” Kevin replied quietly.  “I had to do something.”_

_Connor looked up at Kevin, his bright blue eyes glistening with tears and his face completely open.  “Thank you.”_

_Kevin felt a flutter in his chest as he smiled back at Connor.  “You’re welcome.”_

_At that moment, Kevin discovered that he was having really strange feelings for Connor._

  
_~*~*~*_

Kevin was brought back to the present when he heard his name.

“So how about you, Price?  Elder Cunningham wasn’t exactly top of the class at the MTC, how was it being his companion for 2 years?”

Kevin frowned hearing the disrespect towards his best friend.  “It was absolutely amazing,” he replied.

“Really?” asked Brown, skeptically.

“Definitely,” Kevin replied.  “I’ll admit, I was a bit dubious at first.  Arnold can be a bit overwhelming at times, but he is the most sincere and genuinely good person I have ever known, and he has become my closest friend in the world. I absolutely love him and would do anything for him.”

As the other elders continued to look unsure, Kevin continued.  “In fact, it was Arnold who did incredible things on our mission.  It was a failure until he took charge.  There had been zero baptisms before we arrived, and even I was unable to convince the locals about Mormonism.  But when Arnold took the lead, we had multiple baptisms within days.  He was our savior.”

“What? How?” Asked Young, incredulously.

“He didn’t preach directly from the Book,” Kevin explained, proudly.  “He put things into metaphors that the locals could relate to and understand.  Life in Uganda is extremely difficult. They needed to hear things that they could connect to. Arnold is really talented at doing that. He is just brilliant.”

“Wow!  I didn’t know the details, but I heard that the Mission President went to visit your group.  I’d thought it was because of you!” Exclaimed Cross.

“Not at all.  I was actually somewhat detrimental to our mission. Arnold saved everything. Of course, the President wasn’t happy with the liberties that Arnold took, and he tried to tell us that we weren’t Mormons, and even wanted to shut down our mission” Kevin thought back to the President’s disregard for all they’d accomplished as well as the amazing performance Nabulungi had prepared.  “Once we were able to explain things, we were able to stay to finish out our time in Uganda, though it definitely wasn’t the same as before Arnold took over.”

“Oh wow,” said Harris.  “That must have been scary.  I can’t even imagine a life without Mormonism.”

Kevin chuckled.  “I was the same.  Mormonism was my whole life.  You guys told me that I was the smartest, best, most deserving elder the Center’s ever seen.  I was determined to be the absolute best and save the world through Mormonism. But Uganda changed me.  Arnold changed me.  I’ve actually left the Church.”

Eight gasps were heard around him, and one of the elders actually dropped their glass.

After a few moments of sputtering, Smith was the first to speak.  “What? How? Why?”

Kevin wasn’t ashamed of his decision to leave the Church.  It was one of the smartest things he had ever done, in his mind.  But he also hadn’t been looking forward to shattering the idolization the other missionaries had held towards him.

“I came to realize that there were a lot of things in the doctrine that don’t fully make sense, and the whole ‘just believe’ idea doesn’t work for me.  I can ‘just believe’ in rainbow unicorn dragons if I want to, it doesn’t mean they’re real.  I also saw how much the lives of the Ugandans were improved by listening to Arnold’s embellishments compared to what’s actually written in the book.  And the book doesn’t do anything to actually help people with real problems.  Like did you know that about 80% of Ugandans have AIDS?”

The elders shook their heads.

“How is learning about religion supposed to help cure AIDS? It doesn’t.  Some of the Ugandans believed that the only way to cure themselves was to fuck a virgin.” There’s a gasp at his curse word, and Kevin grimaced in apology before continuing.  “This includes raping children and babies.  Arnold was able to use metaphors to help the people learn that this is not the way to fix things.  The Book doesn’t do that.”

“Uganda sounds horrible!” Cross exclaimed as the others nodded in agreement.

“It was,” Kevin replied with a smile, “Until it wasn’t.  I didn’t want to go to Uganda.  I thought it would be absolutely horrible.  And it was.  Our bags were stolen upon our arrival.  A warlord wanted to perform female circumcision on the women in our village. I got covered in blood when the warlord shot a man in the head. We were almost excommunicated.  And all that happened in the first week.”

The elders were staring at Kevin in open-mouthed amazement.  Suddenly the cold of Norway didn’t seem so bad.

Kevin’s smile turned wistful.  “But then I realized how amazing Arnold is.  His wife is the sweetest woman who ever lived, and her father is the most welcoming person I know.  The others on our mission are some of the best friends I’ll ever have.  Arnold’s words managed to convince the warlord that he wasn’t making good choices, and he was actually baptized.  I almost didn’t want to leave.”

“You talk about the baptisms and everything, but you say you left the church,” Green said, skeptically.

“I don’t believe in the LDS doctrine anymore.  I believe in Arnold’s words which sort of adapt the Book and make it relatable to real life situations. The Ugandan locals and my Brothers are all members now of the Church of Arnold.”

“So you started a cult,” Smith said flatly. The elders were looking at Kevin in disbelief.  They had all looked up to him. Kevin was the embodiment of all a great Mormon should be, but he had turned his back on their religion.

“I guess that’s one way to look at it, but we don’t really see it that way.  The Book of Arnold actually has a lot of the same ideals as the Book of Mormon but is worded to be more comforting and helpful to actual real-life situations.  And though it uses some pop culture references, and has some rather interesting references to frogs, it makes more sense to us, and is much more accepting of peoples’ differences.”

“But what about your future,” asked Harris.  “I thought you were going to go to BYU.  I don’t know how accepting they’ll be to a cult leader.”

Kevin chuckled.  “I’m not the leader.  I just write the words down.  We jokingly refer to Arnold as the prophet.  But in any case, I’m not going to BYU anymore.  I got a scholarship to Columbia and I’m leaving for New York tonight.” He took a deep breath and continued, “Where I’ll be living with my boyfriend.”

Kevin had thought he couldn’t shock the elders any more than he already could.  But news of the Great Kevin Price having a boyfriend seemed to do it.

“You mean a guy who happens to be a friend, right?” Young asked, hopefully.  
  
“No I don’t,” Kevin replied, simply.

"You’re… you’re a… homosexual?” White whispered the last word.

“Another thing I discovered in Uganda.”  He smiled as he thought about him and Connor giving in to their feelings for the first time.

   
~*~*~*

_Kevin had never been prouder of anyone than he had been when after exclaiming that they should all dance and shout and let their feelings out, Connor shyly declared “I have gay thoughts.”  He’d taken a deep breath and continued with conviction “I’m gay. It’s who I am and I can’t keep trying to turn it off.”_

_The Ugandans in their village didn’t seem to mind one way or another, but the elders all surrounded Connor and gave him hugs of support.  Kevin hugged him a little bit longer than the others while whispering in his ear “I’m so proud of you.  You’re gay and you’re the most amazing person that I know.”_

_Connor had smiled at Kevin with tears in his eyes and whispered “Thank you.”_

_Over the next few days, all the elders made sure to let Connor know how supportive they were of him.  When they had a movie night (which was every night after the visit from the Mission President), nobody inched away from Connor when he sat next to them on the couch.  There were no hushed whispers that stopped when he entered the room. Everything went on as normal, and for that Connor was extremely grateful._

_The only thing that really changed is that Kevin kept an eye on him a bit more.  It wasn’t a conscious decision, but he wanted to make sure that Connor was okay, and he wanted to make sure he was there whenever support was needed. He was also usually the one that Connor sat next to on the couch during movie nights._

_It wasn’t until the scorpion incident that Kevin realized what he’d been doing.  He’d even realized that while he hadn’t been inching away from Connor on the couch, he’d actually been moving marginally closer._

_“I have feelings for Connor,” Kevin whispered to Arnold a few days later, as they were walking towards their home for dinner._

_“Yay, Buddy!” Arnold said, wrapping an arm around his best friend._

_“You don’t think it’s weird?” Kevin asked._

_“Nope.  Love is love,” Arnold said.  “I’m going to put in the Book of Arnold that people should be free to love whoever they want.  Men and men.  Women and women.  Different races… Love is love.”_

_Kevin laughed and Arnold continued, “I think you and Connor would make an awesome couple.”_

_“You think so?” Kevin asked earnestly.  “I know he’s gay, but I can’t expect that he’ll have feelings for me just because I’m a guy.  I mean a straight guy doesn’t necessarily have feelings for every girl he meets,” he looked down in sadness._

_“Buddy, of course Connor likes you.  The guy is always looking at you.  And he sits next to you on movie nights.  And he blushes when he does.”_

_“Really?” Kevin perked up._

_“Really.  But you’re going to have to make the first move.”_

_“But why?” Kevin whined._

_“Because he thinks you’re straight, doofus.  Besides, you’re Kevin Price.  You can do anything.  And this will definitely be the something incredible you’ve been hoping for.”_

_“I’ve never told someone I like them before,” Kevin said.  “How do I do it? How did you tell Nabulungi that you liked her?”_

_“I didn’t really.  It just kinda happened.”_

_Kevin smiled.  “Well you’re no help.”_

_“Sorry buddy! But don’t overthink it or wait too long.  Just go for it!”_

_They had reached the hut and walked inside to see Connor humming and dancing around the kitchen while finishing making dinner, his duty for the day._

_Arnold nudged Kevin and winked as he walked away and Kevin realized he’d been staring.  Shaking his head, he slowly moved closer to Connor._

_“Hey Connor,” he said, running a nervous hand through his hair._

_“Hey Kevin,” Connor replied, flashing that smile that Kevin was growing to adore._

_Kevin was trying think of how to eloquently phrase his thoughts to Connor when the other elders entered the room for dinner._

_Backing away in disappointment, Kevin washed his hands and returned to the table.  The boys said their new version of grace (praising the sacred frogs) and dug into dinner.  Somehow Connor was always able to make a delicious meal out of the meagre items they had._

_Though usually chatty, Kevin didn’t contribute much to the dinner conversation, trying to sort out his thoughts and come up with a way to talk to Connor.  Unfortunately, his quietness didn’t go unnoticed._

_“Is everything okay, Kevin?” asked Church._

_“I’m having gay thoughts about Connor,” was Kevin’s blurted reply.  He slapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes darted around the room, avoiding making contact with anyone._

_“I’m… I…” he sputtered._

_“You’re having gay thoughts?” Connor whispered, “About me?”_

_Still avoiding eye contact, Kevin nodded slowly._

_“Kevin, do you have feelings for me?  Like romantic feelings?”  Connor’s voice was still quiet and shaky._

_“Yes,” Kevin whispered back, looking down at his plate.  “I really like you and I think you’re amazing and beautiful and brave and strong and…”_

_He was cut off by the scratch of a chair, which made him look up.  Connor walked towards him, grabbed his arm and pulled him outside._

_“Connor… I…”_

_“Are you serious,” Connor asked, sounding rather stern considering his shaky voice from before._

_“Of course,” Kevin replied.  “Why would I joke about this?  I know how much you struggled with your thoughts, and I would never do something like that to you.”_

_“But I thought you weren’t having gay thoughts.”_

_“I didn’t at the time.  But then you… and we… but then… and you stopped turning it off… and the scorpion… and I…” Kevin couldn’t get a full thought out._

_“You’re really serious.  You genuinely have feelings for me.”  Connor’s tone gave nothing away._

_Kevin started to deflate.  “Don’t make me keep saying it.  I know I’m usually pretty confident, but I can’t keep talking about my feelings.  If you don’t like me too, then please just say it instead of dragging this out.”_  
  
_Connor gaped at Kevin.  “If I don’t… Kevin, I’ve been crazy about you pretty much since I met you.”_

_“You… what?”_

_“Of course I like you back.  You’re gorgeous, and smart, talented, brave, so caring, a great supportive friend, kind of dorky…”_

_“Hey,” Kevin laughed at the last one._

_Connor smiled, “I think you’re just amazing.”_

_Kevin finally met Connor’s eyes and saw the sincerity.  “Can I… can I kiss you?”_

_Instead of replying, Connor leaned in. Cheers could be heard coming from the spying elders._

~*~*~*

   
“Wait,” Grant said, pulling Kevin out of one of his favourite memories.  “Isn’t Uganda one of the most homophobic countries in the world? Where did you meet someone willing to be gay?”

“Connor was our district leader.” Gasps were heard again.  “And yes, it’s a homophobic country.  We didn’t go around flaunting our relationship, but the other elders knew, as did the locals who follow Arnoldism.”

“What about your family?” Cross asked. Kevin grimaced as he thought back to his ‘coming out’.

   
_Kevin had been home for almost a week and was going crazy.  Things had been tense with his family since he explained that no, he hadn’t returned to the standard version of Mormonism after the issues with the Mission President.  In fact, he had abandoned the religion and continued on in a new faith._

_His parents had been trying to get him to reconsider, but Kevin found that once he had begun to pick apart the holes in the Mormon principles, he couldn’t put things back together.  It just didn’t make sense.  But the ideas in Arnoldism did.  His parents wouldn’t listen, though, when he would try to explain his new beliefs._

_After a week of short, tense conversations, he was completely on edge.  At dinner, his mom oh so casually said “I ran into Jeannie Meyer today.  Such a nice Mormon girl.  And so pretty too.  I told her you’d give her a call.”_

_Kevin couldn’t take it anymore and snapped. “I am not going to call her.  I’m not going to call any ‘nice Mormon girls’ or any girls for that matter.  I’m gay.”_

_His parents looked at him in silence for a moment.  “You’re what?” his dad hissed._

_Kevin just couldn’t hold it in any longer.  “I’m gay and I’m in love with my district leader.  We’ve been in a relationship for almost two years.”_

_His mom let out a hysterical laugh.  “Oh Kevin.  You can’t be serious.”_

_“I’m very serious mom.  I didn’t know I was gay until I met Connor, but the signs were there.  I was always popular and I know I’m not unattractive. Why do you think I never had a girlfriend?”_

_“Well you were busy focusing on your studies,” his dad replied._

_“I was, but I also wasn’t attracted to any of the girls I knew.  Or the boys, but definitely not the girls.”_

_“Well maybe you’re… what’s the word… bisexual!  Maybe you can choose a lovely wife,” his mother insisted._

_Kevin laughed.  “I don’t think that’s going to happen, mom.  A woman can’t give me what I want and need.”_

_“Of course she can, son,” his father said.  “The right woman can make you very happy.”_

_Kevin had reached his breaking point. “But she can’t fuck me in the ass, and I can’t suck her dick.”_

_“KEVIN!” His dad shouted as his mom gasped, scandalized.  “I will not tolerate that kind of language in my house.”_

_Kevin grimaced, “I apologize for the language but not for the meaning behind it.  Connor and I have a sexual relationship and I love what we have.  A woman can’t provide that for me.”_

_“I don’t even know who you are,” his mom whispered, crying.  “You’re not my son.”_

_“I can’t listen to this anymore,” his dad said, leaving the table._

_Kevin looked away sadly.  He hated hurting his parents, but he couldn’t help who he was.  “I’m sorry for disappointing you, mom, and for the way I’ve, I guess, ‘come out’.  But I’m not sorry for who I am or for the life I’m living now.  I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not, and I can’t be in a place where I’m not free to live my life.”_

_While his parents hadn’t kicked him out of the house, they definitely hadn’t been comfortable around him.  His mom would look at him sadly, or cry when she would see him.  His dad would either leave the room when he entered, or perform simple tasks, such as unloading the dishwasher, with a lot more noise and anger than usual.  Other than “please pass the salt” there had been zero conversation in the past week._  


~*~*~*

“Ah,” Kevin said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “They aren’t too happy.  It was bad enough when we were reprimanded by the Church.  Even worse when I told them I was no longer Mormon.  And after telling them that I was gay, and have a sexual relationship with my boyfriend… well, we haven’t really spoken in a week.”

“Wait, you’ve only been back for 2 weeks and you’ve already been having intercourse? You’re not even married!”

Kevin laughed nervously, “We, um… we actually broke the celibacy rule in Uganda.”

_Kevin was eternally grateful that both he and Connor had such understanding companions.  Both had quietly mentioned to their roommates earlier that day that they were hoping to get some alone time for some… intimacy.  Poptarts had blushed, but Arnold, who had recently begun a physical relationship with Nabulungi, was very understanding.  It was silently agreed that Arnold would sleep in Connor’s bed that night and that Kevin and Connor would take the other room._

_After all the elders had retired (Arnold had winked at the boys before retiring to his temporary bed for the night), Kevin and Connor smiled nervously at each other.  It had been a month since they had admitted their feelings for each other, and things had been progressing.  There had been chaste kisses at first, followed by some kissing with tongue, which took some getting used to but which Kevin found to be completely sublime._

_The first time Connor ran his hands across Kevin’s chest when they were kissing on the couch was the most heavenly thing he had ever felt, and he had let out a rather embarrassing moan.  Connor had pulled back to look at Kevin, but instead of embarrassment or disgust, he saw passion in Connor’s eyes, and they had resumed kissing with fervor.  Going a step further, Connor had dragged his hands to the hem of Kevin’s shirt and moved them under, gently scraping his nails along his chest.  Kevin moaned again even louder and felt his hips subconsciously thrust._

_Thinking about how amazing it felt to him. Kevin pulled away and placed his hands on the hem of Connor’s shirt, looking into his eyes to make sure it was okay.  At Connor’s nervous nod, Kevin had lifted Connor’s shirt over his head, and Connor did the same to him. They resumed kissing, moving so their bodies were flush, their moans filling the living area._

" _Get a room,” they heard, causing them to leap apart and see Neeley looking at them with an eyebrow raised, glass of water in his hand._

_Both boys looked away, embarrassed, and Neeley moved to his own room.  The boys pulled apart, eyes on each other’s laps.  “I think we need to find somewhere we can be alone,” Connor had gasped, his pupils dilated and lips swollen._

_That was when they had decided to speak to their companions which brought them to that night._

_When they were alone, lying on Kevin’s bed, they looked at each other shyly before sharing a chaste kiss._

_“Hi,” Connor whispered with a smile._

_“Hi,” Kevin whispered back, gently brushing his thumb across Connor’s cheekbone._

_They moved together again and began kissing gently, the passion slowly increasing.  Soon they found themselves both shirtless, this time with Kevin lying gently above Connor, hardness evident between them._

_“I want to touch you,” Kevin said, softly moving his hands from Connor’s chest, down his stomach toward the top of his pants._

_There were nerves evident in Connor’s eyes, but they were clear as well as he shakily nodded.  “Please.”_

_Kevin smiled and kissed Connor’s forehead as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants with shaking fingers._

_Making sure it was still okay, Kevin slowly lowered Connor’s pants and underwear. Instinctively, Connor went to cover himself, but Kevin looked at him reverently. “You’re beautiful.”_

_Connor blushed, and Kevin gently ran a finger along Connor’s hard member.  Connor let out a soft “oh” and arched his back slightly into the touch._

_Kevin smiled but nervously said “I’ve never… not even myself.  Can you let me know what you like?”_

_Connor nodded “I’ve only… myself… just a few times, so I’m not an expert.  But I’ll let you know what feels good. Do you have any lotion or anything?”_

_Kevin kissed Connor again and went to his toiletries kit where he kept, along with his vast amount of hair products, a bottle of hand cream._

_Connor smiled and Kevin squirted some into his hand before gently running his finger around the head of Connor’s penis._

_“Oh, that feels good,” Connor gasped, arching again into Kevin’s touch._

_He continued making circles around the head and the slit before making a loose fist around Connor’s penis and slowly moving it up and down._

_“Oh god, that’s… mmm” Connor’s eyes closed as he gently thrust into the movement._

_Kevin may have humbled in the last month or so, but he still loved knowing that he was doing a good job.  Feeling emboldened, he tightened his grip slightly and began moving a bit more quickly, and despite his lack of technique, moans started escaping from Connor’s lips._

_“Yes, that feels… uuuhhh.” Connor’s lips were parted as he was gasping for breath._

_Curious, Kevin moved his free hand to Connor’s sac, and gently rubbed. “Ke…ee…v…in,” Connor moaned loudly, “I’m gonna… Oh Kevin!” He exclaimed loudly as he let loose across Kevin’s hand and his own abdomen._

_Connor lay flat on the bed, a blissed look of relaxation on his face after his orgasm.  Kevin found some tissues and gently cleaned his own hand and his boyfriend’s body.  Happy to have pleased Connor, Kevin looked down at his now soft member with a gentle smile before placing a kiss on Connor’s chest._

_As Connor started to regain his faculties, he smiled at Kevin looking at him lovingly.  “That was amazing,” Connor said, kissing him gently and running his hand over Kevin’s own groin.  “But now it’s your turn.”_

_“My… what?” Kevin replied.  He hadn’t been thinking about himself.  He knew he was aroused and would love for Connor to touch him, but his only thought had been doing something for Connor._

_“It’s your turn,” Connor repeated, moving down to unfasten and remove Kevin’s pants._

_“Oh, okay,” Kevin said, nervous as he was exposed for the first time.  “I’m not… I haven’t ever, so it’ll probably be really quick.”_

_“That’s okay, sweetie,” Connor said, kissing his boyfriend.  “Do you want me to do what you did to me, or can I try something else?_

_Kevin looked at Connor with complete adoration, “Whatever you prefer.  I trust you.”_

_Connor kissed him again before moving down the bed.  Kevin was confused, “What are you… OH!” He exclaimed loudly as he felt Connor gently lick the head of his penis._

_Connor held Kevin in his hand while he licked around the tip and up and down the length of his member.  “Oh heavenly father… Con!!” Kevin thrust into Connor’s hand, and when he took him into his mouth he let out a sound that sounded inhuman._

_“UNGHF!” He exclaimed as Connor began moving his head up and down, holding what he couldn’t fit in his mouth in his hand._

_It was a bit sloppy but it felt too good.  Kevin knew he wouldn’t last but he didn’t think it would be this quick.  “Con, move your mouth I’m gonna…” But Connor just looked at Kevin in the eye and Kevin couldn’t hold back.  He let out and animalistic moan as he released into Connor’s mouth._

_As he came back down to Earth, he saw Connor smiling as he licked his lips then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand._

_“Come here, you,” Kevin said, pulling Connor into a kiss.  It tasted weird, but it was still amazing, since he was kissing Connor._

_They slept very peacefully that night, though there was a lot of blushing from the other elders at breakfast the next morning._

_A few months later, though they kept the same companions, Arnold and Connor officially switched rooms._

“But eeww,” Green said as Kevin reminisced.  “Intercourse is supposed to be between a married couple for the purpose of creating children.”

“Well, Connor and I can’t have kids, and we can’t get married, especially not in the Mormon church.  We know we’re spending our lives together, whether or not we can legally declare it, so in that regard, there was no reason to wait.  Besides,” he added, deciding to fully shock them, “sex feels so damn good.”

As the waiter came by with the bills, Kevin paid for his meal and stood up.  “Well, gentlemen, it’s been great catching up.  I’m glad you all had a wonderful time on your missions, and I wish you all the best at BYU and in whatever your future might hold.  You all deserve wonderful things.”

He smiled and headed to the door, making his way to his rental car which held his suitcases.  He was off to the airport.  
 

~*~*~

Connor was pacing around the arrivals area at La Guardia airport as he waited for Kevin’s flight to land.  His mission had ended three months before his boyfriend’s; it had been over 3 months since he had seen Kevin, face to beautiful face.  Three months since he had held him.  Kissed him.  Touched him.  
  
In those three months, he had officially come out to his parents.  Though it hadn’t been a complete surprise, they still had not been expecting it and hadn’t been happy.  Things had been tense, but communication had been improving in the time since.  
  
He had moved to New York almost immediately after his return to the US.  He had found a relatively cheap studio apartment in which he was yet to see a roach, which he counted as a win.  It was small, but there was just enough room for him and Kevin.  He was part way through his first semester studying drama and musical theatre at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and had helped get things organized for Kevin who would be starting at Columbia in September.  He had a part time job as an instructor at a dance studio, and had found Kevin a job at a nearby Starbucks.  
  
But right now, all he needed was to see his boyfriend.  
  
A throat cleared nearby and he stopped pacing.  Looking up, Connor saw the smiling face of his perfect boyfriend.  An unimaginable grin broke out on his face and he let out a laugh as he threw himself into Kevin’s arms and kissed him soundly.  
  
“I love you."  
“I love you.”  
“I missed you so much”  
“Never again.”  
  
They whispered their love between kisses as they grabbed Kevin’s bags and made their way to the subway for Connor to lead them home.  
  
They couldn’t engage in too much PDA on the train, so Connor settled for running his fingers along Kevin’s arm and hand as he leaned his head on his shoulder.  
  
“How did it go?” Connor asked quietly.  
  
“I think their brains exploded,” Kevin laughed.  “Not only is the super Mormon no longer Mormon, but he helped start a cult, is gay and really loves having gay sex with his amazing boyfriend.”  
  
Connor laughed and swatted Kevin’s chest.  “You did not tell them that you have gay sex.”  
  
“Oh, I sure did!” Kevin grinned.  “Not even starting after the mission ended, but having sex with my district leader while ON our mission.  Of course, I spared them the amazing details.”  
  
Connor laughed and tugged on Kevin’s hand as their stop was next.  
  
They walked to their building with their arms around each other, each holding one of Kevin’s bags.  Kevin had seen pictures of the building and the apartment, but he didn’t expect to feel such a sense of ‘home’ as he approached.  
  
When Connor opened the door to the apartment he was apologetic, “I know it’s not much, but it’s what we can afford, and…”  
  
Kevin cut him off with a kiss.  Connor was right, the apartment wasn’t much.  A double bed was shoved against one wall, and there was a small, second-hand couch in front of it.  The small kitchenette was across the room, and there was just one closet and one dresser.  It was small, but it was perfect. It was home.  
  
“I love it.”  
  
They dropped their bags and kissed again, feeling the effects of 3 months without physical contact.  They quickly removed each other’s shirts as they kicked off their shoes and unfastened their pants as they moved towards the bed.  
  
Once they reached the bed, things slowed down.  They looked into each other’s eyes as they slowly caressed their naked bodies, taking in the fact that they were together again.  They were face to face, living together, and about to start their future.  
  
“I love you,” Kevin whispered.  
  
Connor didn’t need to say the words back, he kissed his boyfriend again instead.  
  
Kevin moved his hand between their bodies and began stroking Connor just as he liked, causing Connor to cry out and return the favor.  Their breathing increased until Kevin pulled away.  “Wait,” he gasped.  “I want you inside me.”  
  
Connor smiled and reached for the nightstand, pulling out an unopened box of condoms and a bottle of lube.  
  
Kevin opened the box while Connor squirted some of the lubricant on his fingers and began to gently rub circles around Kevin’s opening.  
  
Kevin moaned as Connor inserted one, then two slicked up fingers inside, scissoring them to help stretch him.  Kevin continued to moan as Connor added a third finger, found and gently rubbed against Kevin’s prostate.  
  
“Con,” Kevin gasped, “I need…”  He whined as Connor pulled out his fingers to roll on a condom and slick himself with lubricant.  
  
“I love you,” Connor whispered as he gently began to push inside, both men groaning at the feeling of finally being together again.  
  
There were sloppy kisses, moans, sweat, and slick sounds as their bodies moved together.  After so long apart, both knew this wouldn’t last long.  Connor could feel himself approaching his end, so he reached down to stroke Kevin who let out a low moan and a gasping “Con…” as he released across their chests, Connor following immediately afterwards.  
  
After slipping out and quickly disposing of the condom, Connor grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom and gently wiped his lover.  
  
“Mmmm,” Kevin hummed. He always seemed to get pretty drowsy after an orgasm.  “Love you.”  
  
After a quick nap, they ordered some takeout and spent the rest of the evening in bed, watching Disney movies on Netflix and taking breaks for reuniting.  
  
The next morning Kevin checked his phone to see that he had received an email from Arnold, excitedly letting him know that "Newsies" and Mafala’s visas were expected to be processed in the next 2 months.  
  
Scrolling through he saw he also had an email from Smith.  
  
  
_Price,_  
  
_I am sending this email to apologize for some of my reactions to things you shared at lunch yesterday.  I hope you can understand how shocking it was to hear that someone who had been so religiously devout had abandoned the religion and completely changed his life._  
  
_But that’s no excuse for the unsympathetic reactions you received.  Heavenly Father wants us to love each other, and even if you are no longer a believer, He still loves you, so I do as well._  
  
_I’m not writing to try to convince you to return to the Church.  You seemed pretty set in your convictions, and really happy in your new life.  While you are not following the Mormon word any longer, I am happy to hear that you still do have some faith.  While I still believe in the Word, I do understand what you meant about the Book not being relatable to some real life situations.  Would you be willing to share with me some of the ways you and Elder Cunningham modified the wording (but kept the ideals) to make it easier for people to connect to?_  
  
_All the best._  
_Smith_  
  
  
“Whatcha reading?” Connor said, moving behind Kevin and resting his chin on his shoulder.  
  
Kevin chuckled and held his phone out to Connor. “Just an American Mormon interested in learning a bit about Arnoldism!”  
  
Connor laughed and kissed Kevin’s temple, dragging him out of bed.  “Come on, let’s get you some Starbucks and I’ll show you around our new home.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not too happy with the ending. I wanted to show a bit of Connor and Kevin’s happiness at the end, and one of the elders being curious about Arnoldism, but I feel like it just kind of fizzled out. Ah well.
> 
> Also, the snake bite in Australia actually happened to a friend of mine when we lived there for a year. They did blood tests and told him to call if he wanted to know what kind of snake it was, but that he’d be fine. He never did call (which... WHY? It’s such a cool story!! I’ve spent the last decade or so wondering what kind of snake it was and he just didn’t care!) And I was actually bitten by a fire ant as my only bad encounter with the wildlife there. It did seriously hurt like a motherfucker!
> 
> I also taught at a Catholic school for a while, and ‘sex ed’ was taught as a religion course. Any time students asked me a question, I had to reply with ‘Well, sex is supposed to be between a married couple for the purpose of creating children, however…’
> 
> No disrespect intended to any of the cultures mentioned!


End file.
